Wiggin and Dana added veteran restructuring attorneys Scott Griffin and Frank Eaton to its restructuring practice. The addition of Griffin and Eaton follows the firm’s addition of Florida-based restructuring partner Tamara Van Heel in July.
Griffin joins the firm as a partner in the New York Office and as Chair of the firm’s newly organized restructuring practice, having previously served as the managing partner of bankruptcy boutique Griffin, which he founded in 2015. He brings more than two decades of experience representing debtors, ad hoc and official committees of creditors, secured creditors, administrative agents and trustees in complex reorganizations and restructurings across industries, and routinely appears in bankruptcy court as well as federal district and appellate courts in connection with bankruptcy proceedings. Prior to founding Griffin, he worked in the restructuring practices of several New York-based international law firms.
“Scott is a highly accomplished attorney whose deal experience includes some of the most notable U.S. restructurings,” Tim Diemand, managing partner of Wiggin and Dana, said. “This is the latest milestone in the firm’s continued growth strategy and bolsters our position as a strong middle market platform with national reach. With most of the restructuring team barred in both the Northeast and Florida, we also continue to invest in the relationship between these key growth markets.”
“I am excited to be joining Wiggin and Dana, a firm well renowned for its talented lawyers and high-quality practices,” Griffin said. “The personalized level of service that I have rendered to clients as a trusted advisor throughout my career will continue in my new role, but now with the added multidisciplinary depth and breadth of the Wiggin and Dana platform. I look forward to working with my new colleagues in our shared vision of expanding the firm’s national restructuring capabilities and building a top-tier practice.”
Eaton joins the firm as special counsel with more than 30 years of restructuring experience. He routinely represents debtors and creditors, among other parties, in major complex bankruptcy and restructuring matters in a variety of industries, including retail, real estate, manufacturing, communications, transportation, healthcare, sports and energy throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America.
“This is a critical moment for our restructuring team. Over the past few years, we’ve done impressive work on highly complex and sophisticated restructuring matters, including the outsized result our restructuring team recently obtained in the complex, cross-border chapter 11 cases of Vesttoo, Ltd. in Delaware. Our expanded team now allows us to deepen those capabilities,” Bill Perrone, chair of the corporate department at Wiggin and Dana, said. “Led by partners like Scott who cut their teeth at elite global law firms, our restructuring team is well-positioned to deliver unique value for distressed clients and clients seeking to acquire distressed assets.”
